“I speak to groups about eradicating the cancer of sexual harassment and assault from their organizations,” said Shadley to about 250 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines at the Post Theater.

Shadley, the former commander of the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School, then located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, unraveled the largest military sex scandal to date in 1996. Known as the “Game ala military,” an entire network of senior instructors were in competition to prey on young female trainees at the ordnance school.

“We found that it was easy to cut down on trainee-on-trainee misconduct, but one day a first sergeant intercepted a love note from a trainee to her drill sergeant,” said Shadley.

The investigation that followed had a snowball effect, eventually leading to charges against officers and enlisted Soldiers around the U.S. including Sgt. Maj. of the Army Gene McKinney, the highest-ranking enlisted Soldier.

Retired Maj. Gen. Robert Shadley spoke at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California, about sexual harassment/assault response and prevention during the institute’s quarterly SHARP training Feb. 19. In 2010, after believing that little has improved in preventing sexual harassment and assault in the military, Shadley wrote a book, The GAMe – Unraveling a Military Sex Scandal, about incidents at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in 1996. (Photo by Patrick Bray, DLIFLC Public Affairs)

In 2010, after believing that little has improved in preventing sexual harassment and assault in the military, Shadley wrote a book, The GAMe – Unraveling a Military Sex Scandal, about these incidents at Aberdeen.

“If you take care of your people, reward the good and correct the bad, the mission will be achieved and you and your organization will succeed,” said Shadley.

Shadley was followed by skits from each of the services with winners receiving a copy of his book.

The SHARP Program reinforces the Army’s commitment to eliminate incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault through awareness and prevention, training, victim advocacy, reporting and accountability. The program is a comprehensive integration and transformation of the Army’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) efforts.